Easing Holiday Frustrations

October 20, 2009

(NewsUSA) – The holiday season is meant to be a joyous time, a
time to celebrate with family and friends and to be thankful for all the blessings of the past
year.

But too often, the holidays can be overshadowed by the unnecessary stress of wondering how
you are going to host a large holiday party, shop in crowded malls without pulling your hair out
and find the right gift for everyone on your list. These thoughts can make you want to stay in bed
for the rest of the year.

Below are a few tips that can help ease frustrations this holiday season.

-Dreading your trip to the grocery store? At any time during the holiday season, and
especially in the days leading up to many family dinners, grocery stores are hectic. To cut down on
the time spent in the store, make out your shopping list before you leave home, and try to
categorize it by sections of the store. This way, you will know exactly where to go, instead of
walking around and becoming flustered when you can't find that all-important cranberry sauce.

-Buying gifts for family, friends, coworkers and neighbors? Try buying a selection of
wrapping paper, and wrap each group of gifts in a different paper. That way, when you are running
out the door, you can easily identify the proper stack of gifts to give.

-Need an extra hand to wrap gifts? Try a tape dispenser that makes gift wrapping easy by
allowing you to apply the desired length of tape directly to the surface in one clean action. The
new OneHanded Invisible Tape from the Duck brand lets you have a free hand to hold the wrapping
paper neatly in place without having to wrestle with the paper and a traditional tape dispenser.

-Traveling this holiday season? With millions of travelers in the nation's airports during
the holidays, it is easy to become frustrated. Arrive early, and have boarding passes printed
beforehand. This will cut down on the amount of time you have to stand in long lines.

-Don't want to stand in line at the mall for hours to buy a gift? Go online to the store's
Web site and buy the same gift without ever leaving the warmth and comfort of your home. Many
online stores allow you to search for gifts based on age, price range or gender, and many offer
holiday discounts to online shoppers, including a percentage off the total purchase or free
shipping.